Katherine's Sheaves eBook

“There certainly ought to have been a panacea
provided for all disease,” he resumed, after
a moment of deep thought. “But there is
none to-day—­at least materia medica has
never found one, and that is a mortifying fact to
be obliged to admit after over four thousand years
of investigation and experiment. Poor Dorrie!
I’d really like to make a test of her case!”

He put down his book with a sigh and then went out
to his evening meal, a troubled expression on his
handsome face.

CHAPTER VII.

Katherineandthejuniorleague.

Soon after entering Hilton Seminary, Katherine was
invited, as was customary, to become a member of the
“Junior League,” a secret club or society
organized and sustained by the junior class. Its
object was twofold. First: improvement, to
keep themselves informed of and in touch with current
events and literature; and, second: sociability.

But it was hinted, now and then, by some of the more
serious-minded members, that “a rollicking
good time” had more attractions for the majority
of its constituents than anything else.

Their meetings were held once a fortnight, when some
member was expected to read a paper on a subject previously
selected by a committee appointed for that purpose,
after which a short time was spent in a general discussion
of the theme, then the remainder of the evening was
given over to social enjoyment; or, occasionally,
to “a spread,” which is so dear to every
boarding school girl’s heart.

Twice during the year the league formally entertained
the faculty and the “Senior League,” a
similar organization, which as often returned these
courtesies.

Katherine accepted the invitation with thanks, and
at once threw herself heartily into the methods employed
to entertain the club, particularly into the literary
work, always carefully preparing herself upon the
subject to be discussed. But she soon found that
the main object of the organization was being perverted,
the topics being superficially written up and argued,
except by a very few. Less and less attention
was being devoted to improvement and more to a good
time, together with much school gossip, until the
meetings were fast becoming a farce.

She deeply regretted this, and talked it over with
some others as earnest as herself, but without achieving
any satisfactory results. Upon one or two occasions
she gave a thoughtfully prepared synopsis of the subject,
but these efforts were received with shrugs, nudges
and significant smiles and glances; and, while no
one was openly discourteous to her, it was evident
that, with a few exceptions, she was still regarded
as a person to be shunned even by her own club.

One evening, on making her appearance, she observed
that there was an unusual flutter among the wilder
members of the league, and that she at once became
the object of their curious regard.